Seven Short BatWonder Tales
by Raphael Havok Blake
Summary: Follow the romance between the Caped Crusader and the Amazon Princess through 7 different settings and genres. DISCLAIMER: DC owns all of these characters, and I own own none of it.
1. Tale 1: A Song of Bats and Eagles

**A/N: Hi all! This latest venture of mine was inspired by a Bleach fanfic I've been reading on here by the talented Sajj Spellheart, called "Ten Ichigo and Rukia Short Shorts" (check it out if you're a Bleach/IchiRuki fan btw). I decided, "why not give my other favorite pairing of all time the same treatment?" Each of these short stories follows Batman and Wonder Woman through different settings/tropes/genres from across fiction and imagination. Enjoy, and be sure to fav/follow/review!**

 **BONUS: Easter Egg Hunt: How many references/characters can you pick out?**

 **Tale 1: A Song of Bats and Eagles**

Lord Wayne despised feasts, especially the nighttime ones. Dressing up, entertaining fat lords roaring for more ale and uninterested ladies gossiping over which noble was diddling which servant girl…if there was a Hell, it would be more pleasing than this debacle. _This is all Ser Clarke's fault._ Ser Clarke sat a few seats down from Lord Wayne, dressed in a garish blue doublet with a red mantle held in place by a golden pin emblazoned with the comet of the Kent family. He would have been a lord with his own castle by now, if he hadn't angered King Alexander by charming his unrequited love. Louise of House Leyne sat next to her paramour, paying no heed to the glares she got from Ladies Lang and Lemaris. Lord Wayne couldn't decide if they were jealous or unapproving of her openly romancing a man below her station. _The two need not be mutually exclusive_. Ser Clarke's amethyst-colored eyes met the lord's, and he grinned widely. "My lord! Was this not a brilliant idea? Half the kingdom must be here!"

"Then who is running it?" Lord Wayne replied, only half joking. Down the table, the unfortunately-named Lord Queen was whispering sweet nothings to a redheaded serving girl at least fifteen years his junior, tickling her ear not only with his words but also his infamous golden beard. That was all Lord Wayne could stand. Excusing himself to the confusion of several nearby nobles, he dusted off his grey-and-black doublet and made for the nearby stairwell.

"My lord Bruce?" the familiar voice came from a tall, thin man adjacent to the stairs. Though aging visibly, Alfrid carried himself with all the grace and humble pride one might expect from a major lord's steward. "Had your fill of stories already? Or just disappointed that there are no new noblewomen to coerce back to your chambers?"

"Both, I'm afraid. Have your little robins continue to listen in on the nobles, especially after the good wine is served. I'm thinking the casks of Gotham Special Reserve I won off of Lord Cobblepot last spring."

"Very good, my lord. Maester Lucius is waiting for you in your study. He said to tell you that you have received a letter of the utmost confidentiality." Bruce smoothed down his coal-black hair and climbed the winding steps of The Bat's Cave up to his study. "My lord? What if the guests inquire as to your whereabouts?"

"Tell them I drank too much and must sleep it off." Bruce pushed the door to his private study open in a hurry. Sitting at his large desk was a dark-skinned man dressed in heavy robes. He was staring at the unopened letter on the desk, stroking his short, gray beard. Looking up at his lord, Maester Lucius wordlessly stood up and stepped to the side. Bruce took his seat and picked the letter up. The parchment was fine, with a texture unlike the parchment used throughout the realm. The wax seal bore a great eagle upon it, wings spread as if to attack. Bruce looked over at his maester. "How long ago did this arrive?"

"Not half an hour ago, Lord Wayne. I thought it best not to interrupt your…revelries." Bruce grinned at him. Most maesters would not dare speak in such a manner to their liege lords, but Maester Lucius was not most maesters. Like Alfrid, he had served not only Lord Bruce but Lord Tomas before him, and had also known the young lord since he was a child. And like his father before him, Bruce tolerated the familiarity with which Maester Lucius addressed him.

Bruce tore open the seal and carefully read the contents of the letter. The penmanship was remarkable, the words well-stated and highly articulate. Then again, Bruce expected no less from the sender. He paused to ruminate over the contents briefly before turning to Maester Lucius, a wide grin painted across his face. "Lucius…it's finally time. Send word to the stables that Ace is to be prepared. We ride for the docks at daybreak."

Lord Wayne never felt as truly free as he did riding Ace through the kingdom. This was who he truly was, not the liege lord that sat in the Bat's Cave entertaining his fellow nobles whilst scheming against them. The first rays of the rising sun glinted off of his silver and black plate armor, chest proudly displaying the fearsome direbat of House Wayne. From his impressive belt dangled the longsword Vengeance, the sword that brought his parents' assassin to justice years ago. Bruce had forced the footpad to give his master, the now-former lordling Tomas Eliot. Lord Tomas and Lady Marta Wayne could rest peacefully now that the King's Justice had come upon both killer and master. Now Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight of Gotham, was riding on a much different mission. Maester Lucius had gone ahead to the docks to ensure his lord's passage across the sea and was now patiently waiting by a small, unnamed boat. The maester took Ace as his master climbed aboard; this was a trip only Lord Wayne could undertake.

The boat ride seemed to last forever. The owner of the dinghy, a very unhappy-looking young man by the name of Stephen, wouldn't say much, even when Bruce attempted to converse with him. When he did speak, it was usually a half-mumbled remark about how "unfair this whole thing is," and how it should be him in the armor, headed to the island. Eventually, Bruce gave up on talking to the clearly bitter man, instead thinking of what awaited him on the island the myths called Paradise. Bruce had gone through many pains to secretly arrange for this trip. If King Alexander knew that he was taking this trip and for what purpose he was taking it, his head would be sitting on a very large spike in front of the castle. This was high treason at best, something the king was particularly paranoid about since taking the throne 14 years ago. Bruce pushed those troublesome thoughts into a little box in the back of his mind as the island came into view. Lush greenery and white sand met the eye immediately, giving the island a paradisiacal look that certainly matched its name in the Old Tongue: Themiscyra, Paradise Island. The architecture was alien, like a mixture of ancient and modern, with a hint of something more. "This is it, m'lord," Stephen half-spat. "I would wish you luck, but I don't like any of this, so…farewell." The man pushed his boat back out into the sea and climbed in, leaving Bruce on the quiet beach. Before long, he was greeted by a contingent of women, armed with spears, longswords, and recurve bows. Their armor was much like their buildings, a strange mixture of old, new, and alien. _No men in their ranks. So the legends of an all-female army may be true after all_. Bruce cut his thoughts short as two women dismounted. One strode forward, golden armor and skirt nearly blinding Bruce as she approached. She removed her helmet, revealing a head crowned in gold –both hair and precious metal. The woman carried a regal, distinguished air about her that seemed to contradict her youthful face. Bruce bent his knee and tenderly kissed her hand. "Queen Lyta. I am both humbled and honored to at last meet you after so many months of correspondence."

"Your attitude speaks well of you, Lord Wayne of Gotham. As you well know, you are only the second man to set foot on Paradise Island in the past 1,000 years." She waved the other woman forward. This one wore no helmet, her long raven-colored hair gently flapping in the breeze. She was definitely tall, nearly Bruce's height, and of a muscular build, though not disgustingly so. Despite her obvious physical strength, her blue eyes conveyed a sense of fear about her. "This, my lord, is my daughter Diana…your-betrothed."

For the first time in years, Bruce was left speechless, only able to nod at Queen Lyta. When he secretly entered into a marriage alliance with the Amazons of Themiscyra, he had no idea what to expect from Princess Diana. This beautiful warrior of a woman that now stood in front of him only made this plan all the sweeter. He kissed her hand as well, and bowed low, grinning the entire time. Queen Lyta broke the silence, gesturing towards the main city. "Come, there is much to do and little time to do it. I assume you are pleased with our arrangement, Lord Wayne?"

"Very much so. You did not tell me how radiant the princess was, your Grace. Neither mere words nor poetry could begin to describe her beauty." Diana blushed at the words.

"You are very kind to say so, my lord. The gods were generous to gift her to me indeed. She will not only be a fine general for your new army...but also a loving queen for you when you prevail against your false king."

"Yes." The agreement was simple enough: this marriage alliance would provide Bruce with an army of Amazon warrior women, each said to be worth ten knights. Those who chafe under King Alexander's rule would join their ranks to his soon enough, Alfrid's robins assured the young lord. With a wife of royal blood, and being of noble birth himself, Bruce would claim the throne and kingdom for House Wayne. Queen Lyta would sit on his council, and have a say in many of the royal affairs upon uniting Paradise Island with the rest of the kingdom.

"Then let us begin immediately. The marriage will take place in seven days, as the sun rises. I will give the two of you some time to get acquainted until then." Queen Lyta flashed the two a warm smile as she and her royal guard rode off towards the palace.

The next six days felt like a blur to Bruce. They rode, they fought across the beach both in and out of armor, and they spent many a chaste night underneath the ancient stars, speaking their minds. He had only spent one week on this island with her, yet Bruce felt as if they had been betrothed their entire lives. Before long, it was the night before the wedding. As they lay on the beach, Diana asked suddenly, "This kingdom of men we are to rule…what is it like?"

"Nervous, my lady?" Bruce flashed her a playful grin.

She flushed, making her betrothed laugh…which only made her blush more. "N-no! I just never have seen this kingdom before. I have barely even heard stories of it from Stephen."

"The Kingdom…is corrupt. Its king is a cruel imposter, and his supporters are superstitious and cowardly. They lie, scheme, rape, and kill as they please, as long as their actions do not upset the balance of power for their king."

"That sounds horrible, Lord Bruce! Why even conquer this place? Why not leave it behind and stay here with me?" She crawled over and laid her head on his chest.

Bruce sighed. "I want nothing more than to live forever on this island with you, Princess Diana. To rule here as king and raise warrior children, forgetting The Kingdom and its troubles." He wrapped his arms around his soon-to-be wife. "But…a king's duty is to his people. And my…our people need us. They need hope, and true justice. We, along with those who strive for justice, are obligated to give The Kingdom just that."

"Wisely, said, my King," Diana said sleepily. As she slowly drifted off to sleep on the beach in his arms, Lord Wayne gazed at the unchanging stars above. Ser Clark would need to gather the other four soon. Ser Bartholomew, Ser Viktor, Lord Currie, and Lord Jordan would be instrumental in rallying The Kingdom to his cause. _The Kingdom…MY Kingdom,_ Bruce thought. _With Diana by my side and the other five riding with me, this realm will see justice._


	2. Tale 2: Never Look Back

**A/N: Hi y'all! sorry about taking so long on this one, you know how fickle one's muse can be! This one is...a little different from the last tale I spun for you. Enjoy!**

Gotham City burned bright, a candle in the deep dark as the world otherwise slept. The Justice League was far off-world, answering a distress call coming from Oa itself. Yet, even as he struggled up from a pool of his own blood, Batman did not regret staying behind. Getting to his feet sent a lance of pain through his abdomen. Batman cursed his advancing age as he swayed to his feet, the early stages of arthritis tugging at his knee joints as he tried to steady himself. He glanced over at the lifeless body of Wonder Woman, spear through her heart, still trying to grasp how it all came to this. His vision blurred out, then back to focus as his black and gold-armored opponent advanced, slowly and methodically. The man wore a helmet styled like a bird of prey, the red lenses giving it an ominous look. His polished cuirass glowed orange in the firelight around him. Scalloped gauntlets reached and grabbed the Dark Knight by the throat, lifting him a foot off the ground. The helmeted man smiled, a cruel thin line bracketed by an almost-clichéd black goatee. "This is it, old man," he sneered. "Thirty-five years come to a head at last, and you would think I'd have something clever or just menacing to say to you. Something about how despite all your efforts, my destiny was not to sit in a space station protecting the weak and innocent. You just couldn't see it, could you?" His grip tightened only slightly, but Batman strained against it. The man was too strong, and the armor made it impossible to reach his pressure points. His armored foe drew a cruel-looking sword of ebony. "Always forward. Never look back."

"Always forward, Kalvin. Never look back in a battle. Now STAND YOUR GROUND AND FIGHT HER!" The boy was dwarfed by the shield he carried, and the bronze-tipped spear in his left hand was at least twice his height. He wiggled uncomfortably in his sandals and armor, wishing he was back in the wing-tipped oxfords and double-breasted suits that he hated with a passion. The attack came from high, the little girl literally flying through the air with her own spear raised to pin him. He barely got his shield up to deflect the tip…but didn't see the knee that drove into his gut. The boy fell hard, dropping his weaponry and the girl mounted him, a sword at his throat.

"Enough!" The girl hopped up almost gleefully and flew over to the seats of the ancient arena. The boy tried to gather his thoughts as his mind spun in his head. She was so fast and as strong as he was, those brown eyes of hers so full of confidence. Hippocrates thought he was in love. A shadow fell over his prone figure as his mother loomed over him. "Get up," she said sternly, pulling the boy to his feet. He looked away from her in shame. Only one of three males allowed on Themiscyra, and yet he could not live up to expectations. His mother looked down at him, and he could feel her gaze like it was his godfather's heat vision. "Stand up straight and tell me, who are you?"

The boy snapped to attention, stiff as a plank. "I am Kalvin Hippocrates Wayne! Son of Bruce and Queen Diana! Grandson of Zeus and future Champion of Mont Olympos!"

Wonder Woman couldn't help but smile. Her little Champion, barely ten years old. She beckoned the girl over and stood her next to Kalvin. "And to the victor, who are you?"

The girl flashed a confident, gap-toothed smile. "Samantha Kent! Daughter of Clark Kent and Lois Lane! Daughter of Krypton and future Supergirl! I mean, if Daddy lets me." She blushed, and her godmother stifled a giggle.

"Strong answers, children. But that is not what I meant. You two are warriors, guardians of virtue and justice. One day, each of you will follow in the footsteps of your parents, and Hera willing, join the Justice League of the next generation." An Amazon sentry appeared behind Diana, bowed respectfully, and whispered a message in her ear. "Excuse me children, we have company. I will retrieve them and be back soon." With that, she flew off in the direction the sentry came from.

"Mom and Dad and Uncle Bruce are here," Samantha said matter-of-factly.

"How would you know that?"

"I could hear the messenger, duh. Couldn't you, Kalvin?"

Kalvin flushed. "N-no! And I told you a gazillion times, call me Kal, Sammie!" He shoved her a little too hard and she flew back ten feet, only to readjust midair and float back.

"It's just Sam, idiot!" She shoved back and sent him flying back this time. Now floating in the air with her, Kal charged, yelling in Greek as they shoved each other higher, then lower before crashing into the ground together and wrestling for control. Off in the distance, Batman, Superman, Lois, and Wonder Woman watched their children with amusement.

"They're gonna make a cute couple someday," Superman laughed.

"Shut up, Clark," the other three said in unison.

"Kal, where are you off to in such a hurry? Your mother just made dinner!" Bruce Wayne watched his son zip around the manor franctically. "And what are you looking for? You're going to make a mess in here, and Alfred isn't around to clean it up for you anymore!"

"There it is!" Kal came flying out of the fifth guest bedroom and landed in front of his father. He was dressed head to toe in his costume, a golden bird with batlike wings emblazoned across the chest. "Today's the day, Pop. I told you that like six times this week alone."

Diana came out of the kitchen and linked her arm with her husband's. Twenty-four years of marriage and yet she had barely aged in comparison to the visibly graying Bruce, "Finally! But why are you doing this as Dark Eagle, instead of just Kalvin Wayne?"

"Because it's a surprise, Ma, c'mon now. I'm late, keep dinner in the oven for me!" Kal opened up the grandfather clock in the study and flew out through the Batcave.

The skyline of Gotham City was quiet, the only noise heard being the occasional passing car and the hum of neon lights. With both Batman AND Wonder Woman and now Dark Eagle guarding it, Gotham almost rivaled Metropolis in crime rate. In the urban silence, the only sound Kal could hear was his own racing pulse as a red-and-blue blur shot out in front of him. The famous red and gold "S" attracted the eye as much as any Kryptonians and nearly glittered in the lights of the city. "My eyes are up here, Jerkwad," Samantha Kent – Supergirl – teased.

"Shut up, Sammie," Kal shot back, and they laughed heartily.

"So why am I in Gotham anyway? I know you didn't ask me to come all the way just to go on patrol."

Kalvin sighed. "I can't even surprise you the way I want to, can I? Fine, I'll skip the monologue and the sappy poem I had planned to hit you with as we patrolled, since you clearly already suspect me." She punched him in the arm hard. "I'll get right to what I wanna say, then. Samantha Karen Lane, will you marry me?" He took a diamond ring forged by Hephaestus himself out of his utility belt, and you could hear Samantha's excited scream all the way in Keystone City.

Kal had come as fast as he could, practically blasting the doors off of the Manor. Damian and Dick were waiting for him, expressions glum. "This way, Kal. It…it doesn't look good." Dick and Damian guided their younger brother to the Batcave's infirmary.. Clark, Bruce and Diana were at the bedside, eyes red. The woman in the bed barely looked like his wife anymore. Her once radiant face was withered, and the confident brown eyes he fell in love with thirty-four years earlier were hollow now. Her breaths were shallow and frail, her chest barely rising at all.

"What happened?" Kal had only been gone for a day, handling some business for his uncle Hercules when Hermes tracked him down in the ruins of Troy. He hadn't even had a chance to change out of his Dark Eagle gear.

"It was Chemo," Superman said. He gave his son-in-law a baleful look, and for the first time in his life Kal saw the universe's symbol of hope devoid of any himself. We were fighting the Society, Luthor Jr. dropped him in, added god-knows-what to the mix…Samantha should have been able to take it, but her system is weak from…Kal, did she tell you she was pregnant?"

"No! I mean, she was acting strange for the past week but she never told me anything! The baby, is it –"

Bruce spoke up, his voice barely a murmur. "It wasn't developed enough to resist the attack."

"Kalvin…? Is my husband here…?"

"I'm here, Sammie. I'm here now." He held her hand. It had none of the strength he had grown to admire her for.

She chuckled weakly. "Told you it's just Sam, j-jerkwad."

"Guess I never learn huh?" He was choking back tears, lips quivering as he spoke. "It's gonna be alright baby, I'll speak to the gods, to S.T.A.R. Labs, anybody who can help you. I won't rest until you're strong enough to hurl Luthor across the country with one –"

She cut him off with a wavering, slender finger. "Remember, Kal: Always…always forward. Never look back."

Then she smiled.

"W-why?" Bruce managed to croak out as his own son held him up by the throat. All he could taste was blood, mouth filled with its metallic taste. "Your mother and I love you, we did all we could for you. Never lied. Never abused."

"Yet you and her stood by while my wife was eaten alive by that scumbag Chemo's noxious cocktail. You did nothing to save her!" He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "At least, now you can redeem yourselves. I had to go to Hades himself, make a deal with him to get my wife and child back. This was the agreement, part of being his Champion. I bring him two very specific souls, and he gives me my family back. You and Mom are those two. Goodbye, Dad. Go to Elysium and patrol it forever". As the sword pierced Batman, he looked over at his wife, the words echoing in his head. Elysian Fields, forever happy with the woman he loved more than life itself. The life left Bruce Wayne, and with his last thought, he secretly hoped this price granted his son the same happiness.

 **A/N: Hope that didn't make you cry! This was my first go at a darker type of tale, so I know it wasn't exactly perfect. Stand by for tale #3, and as always fav/follow/review, and leave me any tale suggestions you may have in a private message!**

 **\- R.H.B.**


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